Mediated Mormons (feat. Rosemary Avance)

Our 21st century digital age provides countless and unprecedented opportunities for identity development and cultural engagement. But how might these new means of social interaction impact religious institutions and their public image?

On today's episode of Scholars & Saints, host Nicholas Shrum seeks out these answers with the help of Oklahoma State University's Professor of Media and Strategic Communications Rosemary Avance. In her recent book, Mediated Mormons: Shifting Religious Identities in the Digital Age, Avance explores how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created and negotiated its public image during the "Mormon Moment" of the 2010's. Avance and Shrum discuss the different media focuses during this period, including Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, online discussions around caffeine, the Gospel Topics Essays, and more.

You can learn more about Rosemary Avance, her research, and her academic interests by visiting her faculty page.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 4:12 Background
• 15:13 Orientations to Contemporary Mormonism
• 22:40 Constructing Mormon Identity
• 35:35 Caffeine
• 46:35 2012 U.S. Presidential Campaign and Mitt Romney
• 57:55 Gospel Topics Essays and the Digital Age
• 1:09:05 Concluding Questions
• 1:20:32 Outro